Photographer's Note

This is a shot of a group of living statues who were performing in Grafton Street in South inner city Dublin.

When I came across them this morning, a huge smile came over my face, as this is the exact same group of people that I first encountered in a great shot called Four Men In Black, posted by Malgo (Emka).

Being perfectly honest, I found them a little creepy, and I know that at least one of them (lower right) is wearing a mask, but I think the other three just have their faces painted. They were certainly getting quite a crowd, including many children who seemed terrified of them!

When you put some money in the black jug in front of them, all four move slightly, but in perfect unison to show gratitude for the donation, otherwise they remain as still as statues.

I gave a couple of euro to them, as I was standing before them for a couple of minutes to get my shot. As I put my lens cap back on and started to move on, the one on lower left gave me an ever so subtle wave goodbye.

Hi Noel
you know what i find most amusing about this scene......if you look very carefully you'll notice in the bg that thse 4 men chose a spot directly outside of a bank!!!!!!!!!!!
Now thats a great location! If people dont have change ON them, perhaps these chaps thought they could just slip into the bank and come back to put money into their collection bucket :)

It must be a tiny amount of money they collect, since it would have to be divided 4 ways! Everytime i see these street performers, it makes me wonder just how much cash they DO earn in a day.

Hello Noel,
These guys must really love their performances (I don't quite understand why), because I find it hard to believe they actually make a living from it. Do they have a government grant for artists? What a weird job, but what a great photo opportunity they provide. Even their new choice of dog benefits the composition.
Kind regards,
Gert

Good afternoon, this afternoon.
Interesting and good article about the masked men with dog puppet with a description ...
Nice view and moment ...
Good time recording, sharpness and contrast nicely displayed masked men, beautiful colors.
Good work and composition, well captured moment.
Nice afternoon and all the best.
Paja.

Hi Noel,
that´s great my friend!
The scene and the title:)make your work really exceptional!
You knew how to build nice,funny story about this image.
What I like more about it is the way you framed it and of course their facial expressions and poses.And one small detail more I find really brilliant,namely the reflected surrounding in one of the guy(this on the left)sunglasses.

Hi Noel
This is so good shot. Before reading your note I was wondering whether they are real or statues. The standing ones were appearing real while the lower right appeared statue. I could not even make out if the dog was also real. Your note only has clarified that. You have brought their skills so skillfully on the screen that i am amazed.Great!

Hi Noel, very good picture of this interesting group, very well captured in this image, with good sharpness, light and color. Very good and interesting job well done, congratulations my friend. Thanks for sharing this interesting work.

Good night and good Sunday.
Warm greetings from southern Spain.
Angel.

Hi Noel,very funny quartet,only the dog isn't living...ehehe....beautiful idea for a very nice pic,impressive quality and bright details,it's nice to see something of different,i like it!Have a nice Sunday and thanks,Luciano

I have no idea how these men remain so still Noel and like you they give me an uneasy feeling. Oh yes, they are amusing but I expect them to jump up at any moment and do something nasty! A bit like Madame Tussauds, there they have the waxwork figures and people who aren't waxworks but who look like them until they move, giving you a fright!

The light here is ideal for the subject as the coats have the look of a sculpture with the sheen giving a solid, heavy sort of quality. The shot is so well managed, I've looked at the detail for ages and find the subject quite fascinating.

Hahaha, I love this. I just came by rather fast, you gave them some euros so you could make a better composition. Amazing close up. They are so funny. And the new dog looks better. Certainly the guy with the pipe has a mask. I do not rememeber it. I tried to see if it is possible to recognize you in the glasses but too small it is. Must be great to see them moving. And they obviosly have eye contat with you.
I inspired you even if my visit was so short, first shopping center, now these guys.
Thanks!!!
Have a great sunny Sunday

Hi Noel
well this could not be any more different to yesterday's post now could it? Top marks for versatility :-). I remember Malgo's shot and yep! definitely a new dog. They are a bizarre looking foursome and you have captured them superbly. Often wonder what makes people do this and also decide on the characters too. Modern day Bertie Bassetts - wonderful, put a smile on my face too.

Hello Noel,
What an unique way for these elderly gentlemen (reading your note about wearing mask I might be guessing wrong) to earn some money. It must be painstakingly difficult for them to stay still for long times and it must take them an awful long time to get the make up done and wash it off every day.
As I see a lot of beggars in India, I do not like begging. But here it is different, it is mixed with creativity and hard work. I like the inclusion of the puppet dalmatian which as an perfect addition to the B&W theme. Thanks for sharing a unique moment.
Regards,
Subho

Hi Noel,
Wonderful photo, excellently arranged in vertical format. I am always wondering when similar performance how the people can take to stay still like statue for longer time.
You got it in superb light capturing outstanding details. The white dog creates a perfect contrast.
Very well done.
Greetings,
Miro

Hi Noel
Real cool here! but I never understand how they manage to stand or sit still for so long. Some of these street entertainers are quite pro at what they do and the costumes they manage to achieve are so well thought out and you're almost compelled to watch. I love the attention to detail, the light, tones and the textures with wonderful expression and the vital 'eye' connection in them, the strongest element here. Lovely catch, congrats
Best regards

This is an entertaining shot that is drawing entertaining dialogue. Craig's observation that the scene is in front of a bank, where passersby can draw some cash to give them. Less noble is the possibility that they are in disguise, ready to rob the place. It's a terrific group portrait of the four living statues and their stuffed dalmatian. They should have a bigger black pot, a cauldron to collect money for all this effort.

Incidentally, you can embed a link in some html code that will make it live. For example, the link that you give would appear asMalgo's shot .

Drop me a note a my email address bulentiatalay@gmail.com, and I will give you the simple code.

Creepy indeed, particularly the smile on the mask. I do love the fact that they did not paint the dog gray. Nicely captured against a gray background as well. Too bad about the bank machine in the back. Thanks.
Roger

Hello Noel,
a superb presentation of this still scene in a full vertical frame. The tight framing, that eliminates irrelevant context, allows us to concentrate on the mysterious group with fascination and creates intensity. I enjoy very much how you have played with the theme of stillness and the viewer of your photo is looking at the four intriguing characters with the same anticipation as a viewer actually standing before them (at least I am:) I love the textures and the grey tones, the 3D impression and the reflection in the sunglasses. Congratulations and thank you!
All the best, have a great evening,
Ourania

Looks like a black version o fthat well known ageing Irish boy band - U2!

Love the balanced compo and the humour and that spotty dog adds the perfect contrast to the other four. I love the shimmery black tones and highlights - it reminds me of statues, which is exactly what they are supposed to be so I think you got the exposure spot on. Of course the dof with its spots is the complete opposite - the blacks are white and the highlights are spots - so the dog is a kind of "negative" statue!